Sky Preacher set for stakes debut in Oak Tree Juvenile Turf

DEL MAR, Calif. – Sky Preacher’s summer campaign will be defined by turf races. He beat maidens in his debut on the surface at Santa Anita in June and makes his stakes debut as the likely favorite in the $100,000 Oak Tree Juvenile Turf over a mile at Del Mar on Wednesday.

This is the race that trainer Doug O’Neill has been waiting for in recent months.

By Sky Mesa, Sky Preacher was purchased for $80,000 at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. auction of 2-year-olds in training in March.

“He’s a classy horse who takes care of himself,” O’Neill said. “When we got him in from Florida, he was a little light. He’s thrived in California. He has filled out and looks phenomenal.”

Sky Preacher is one of two turf-course winners among the 13 horses entered in the Oak Tree Juvenile Turf. The field will be limited to 12 starters, with the maiden claimer Southeast Asia on the also-eligible list.

The race could produce a few runners for the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf over a mile at Santa Anita on Oct. 31.

◗ He was second and fourth in maiden sprints on dirt at Santa Anita before winning the one-mile turf race June 27. Sky Preacher was near the lead throughout and won by 7 1/2 lengths under Tyler Baze, who has the mount Wednesday.